Behind every health system are the people who keep it running—and their mental health is increasingly under strain. This session shines a spotlight on the well-being of Europe’s health workforce, revealing the urgent challenges faced by those who care for others every day.

Drawing on findings from the landmark Mental Health of Nurses and Doctors (MeND) survey, this webinar will explore the scale and impact of mental health issues among health professionals across Europe. It will also examine what needs to change—highlighting practical policy solutions, system-level actions, and the importance of supportive working environments.

By connecting research, policy, and lived experience, this session underscores a critical message: protecting the mental health of health workers is essential to building resilient, sustainable health systems. Join us to better understand the challenges—and be part of the conversation on how to address them.

APHEA, in collaboration with ASPHER, EUPHA and IANPHI, is pleased to invite you to a webinar on “Public Health Competencies for the Future”, organised during European Public Health Week 2026.

This online session will bring together leading experts from across Europe to discuss how public health education and systems must evolve to address emerging challenges, and which competencies will be essential for the future public health workforce.

The webinar will open with welcome remarks by Carlo Signorelli, President of APHEA.

Speakers include:

• Henrique Barros, President of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER)
• Charlotte Marchandise, Executive Director of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA)
• Tiago Correia, Vice-chair of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) Public Health Professional Development Committee
• Paul Barach, Chair of the Board of Accreditation of the Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA)

The session will be moderated by Danko Relic, Executive Director of APHEA.

Date: Friday, 8 May 2026
Time: 13:00–14:00 CET
Format: Online (Zoom)
Join here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89138586860?pwd=la14wWjuADvtaVrVuFhrD2Lq0zzw7o.1

Key themes include:

• The evolution of public health education and core competencies
• Practice-based learning and cross-sector collaboration
• Strengthening collaboration between public health institutes and academia
• The role of accreditation in supporting innovation and quality

The session will consist of short presentations followed by an interactive discussion with participants.

We look forward to your participation in this timely discussion on shaping the future public health workforce.

The Mental Health of Nurses and Doctors (MeND) survey, conducted by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in collaboration with the European Commission, provides comprehensive evidence on the mental health, well-being, and working conditions of healthcare professionals across 29 European countries. With over 90,000 responses, the findings highlight a high prevalence of mental health challenges and unsafe working conditions, including long working hours, shift work, and workplace violence. Importantly, the report identifies clear links between working conditions and mental health outcomes, while also pointing to protective workplace factors and policy priorities.

An updated version of the MeND report is expected to be launched during the European Public Health Week 2026, providing a timely opportunity to reflect on its implications.

While the report offers robust system-level evidence and policy recommendations, there is a need to contextualise these findings through the lived experiences of the health workforce, particularly from a youth and next-generation perspective. Students, early-career professionals, and more senior practitioners experience these challenges differently, especially during transitions into the workforce.

This session aims to explore how the MeND findings resonate across different career stages and professions and what is needed to translate evidence into meaningful improvements in working conditions and mental health.